I agree with getting basic 3G across the country before they start decommissioning 2g service. The stupid part is they're decommissioning 2g service in New York yet they are still selling 2g only devices. I like Verizon's approach all smartphones have to be 4G from now on (I can see apple purposely not putting 4g in the phone just to watch Verizon squirm). I would have sworn that 2g only devices where gone 3 to 4 years ago.

Where my Son lives there is no 3G service, every device only can use Edge service at a maxximum, yet on either a few miles away is 3G, AT&T service is horrible here, we abandoned ship for verizon at my job because of it.

I don't know of any 2g devices being offered, what they are speaking about is customers who have 2g phones and warning them that the are shutting down 2g and the customers will have to upgrade in the near future to a minimum 3g device

at&t no longer sells 2G phones so far as I am aware...if they do, they won't for much longer...nobody wants the darn things....even all the new Blackberries are 3G and even a few are LTE, and Blackberry is historically the last company to adopt new technology....

What they are talking about EVENTUALLY shutting down 2G when it is no longer needed, no date has been set and the plan for the transition has not begun, indeed no plan for the transition even been announced....

The actual shut down of the 2G network is still a few years away....let's not get ahead of ourselves....this was an 'introuduction of long term plan/concept' only....

Actually, AT&T has already started this process. About a year ago, they went through this in several other areas. This is their 3rd phase of this project. I think it's a good thing they are doing this.

I was just taken back by the guys above my last post's comment, he stated that AT&T was still selling 2G only devices in NY...to my knowledge AT&T has stopped that for a while now.

I also haven't seen any LTE Blackberrys yet either...HSPA+ ones though, I have.

They aren't talking about shutting down the EDGE network nationwide yet, they are only talking about doing it in New York City.....and even then they haven't even set a date for it, they have only introduced the idea of phasing out EDGE as a kind of abstract concept....

This thing will no doubt happen in stages...

1. Stop selling 2G equipment (which I think has already happened, if not it will happen soon)2. People who currently have 2G phones are encouraged to upgrade to 3G3. A warning is made, and a date certain is set for the shuttering of the 2G network4. After the 2G network is shut down, those still using 2G equipment will probably be offered a chance to upgrade to a 3G or even 4G phone

Those that have 3G or 4G phones can't even use them on anything but EDGE in North Idaho since they haven't even got past EDGE service in many areas, come on at least give them 3G, they are so far behind every one else it's pitiful. Can you hear me now? NO!

It all starts somewhere, they have towers here in existance with outdated equipment, just need to upgrade, not put in new ones. Its a losing battle here with signal issues, outdated service, and no hope in sight.

cyclekid58 said:They still need to upgrade service, forget buying other companies, upgrade towers that have ONLY edge service to at least 3G!

That's exactly what they're doing.

It's not about shutting down 2G.

It's about taking existing towers and spectrum, and upgrading them to 3G and 4G. It's difficult to run separate 2G and 3G and 4G networks at the same time, in the same area. There's only so much spectrum, and splitting it three ways is inefficient and inflexible. So in dense areas where they currently run all three networks, they're shutting down 2G to make more room for 3G and 4G.

Hopefully, they do have a good game plan and upgrading their entire network to at least 3G. I realize that they can't nust throw up towers all over the place but, most certainly can look into boosting the signal of those towers. But, that is easier said. In certain areas, the boost in signal may I interfere with other things, I would think. So many things to consider, I guess.

The main obstacle to network upgrades is actually government regulation. Not federal regulation so much as local regulation. Some local communities have ridiculously restrictive laws about cell towers.

In Texas, the process of building a cell tower, from initial request to final build, takes only about 6 weeks.

But in some parts of the country, (New York, California etc) simply getting a permit to build one cell tower can take 3-5 years or longer. Then the actual build takes a couple more years.

There is also the problem of NIMBYism.

In San Francisco they recently passed a law that said that the construction of a cell tower can be permenantly halted if ONE PERSON objects to it. That makes network upgrades rather difficult...(continues)

Every single phone they offer is at least 3G and several are 4G....so I was indeed correct, at&t no longer sells 2G phones anywhere in the country.....(they list the iPhone 4S as '4G' so I guess their definition of '4G' is 'HSPA+' rather than LTE for the moment)

Fredd said:Also remember that EDGE, UMTS. HSDPA, and LTE are all to do with data speeds, not voice.

Not entirely true.

UMTS is essentially another term for W-CDMA. (GSM adherents oft prefer to refer to UMTS, perhaps because they resent that it is actually a form of CDMA.) Regardless, UMTS/W-CDMA most definitely carries standard circuit switched voice traffic.

Thanks for the info. I figured a lot had to do with restrictions from local local municipals and residential disproval. It is a shame that so much stands in the way to building out a network. I guess this is part of ATT's issue with using some of that spectrum they have access to.

No. If you are talking about AT&T's slow 3G W-CDMA roll out, regulatory approval and NIMBYism have nothing to do with the current state of incompletion.

1. W-CDMA overlay does not require new "towers." It needs only minor modifications or additions to existing cell sites.2. AT&T has deployed W-CDMA in all major metro areas but has neglected largely rural areas.

So, the primary factors stopping AT&T from using its ample existing spectrum to complete its 3G W-CDMA overlay are AT&T's own sloth and lack of concern about rural areas.

AJ, Before we get a tirade about AT&T's amble spectrum and they not using it, and I do admit you have a point. Tell me how the "Special Olympics" of mobile carriers Sprint is doing in this aspect? Haven't seen squat done with wimax in well over a year. Now they're talking about LTE?

Versed said:AJ, Before we get a tirade about AT&T's amble spectrum and they not using it, and I do admit you have a point. Tell me how the "Special Olympics" of mobile carriers Sprint is doing in this aspect? Haven't seen squat done with wimax in well over a year. Now they're talking about LTE?

Sprint is a red herring; it is irrelevant to this discussion about AT&T.

But what Sprint has done (VZW, too) is overlay 3G EV-DO across essentially its entire network -- and did so quite some time ago. AT&T should have been able to do likewise with 3G W-CDMA well before it moved on to 4G LTE deployment in major markets. The folks in AT&T GSM/GPRS/EDGE only rural areas have every reason to wonder why AT&...(continues)

Yep, it's funny, I was onhand the day as a left over PrimeCo emplyee who made the transition to TDMA in Houston (from PrimeCo's CDMA) for the AT&T buyout, to also be onhand the day GSM/GPRS launched in Houston. We sold a $99 unlimited all(Voice+Data) plan to intice customers to switch.

Can't wait to be onhand when Houston's Sprint Network flips the switch on LTE, as we were one of the middle of the national deployment for Wimax with Clear.

AS a Product Ambassador I'll be testing it on the Galaxy Nexus so should be able to really get into the meat of things come mid year.

This is on Sprint's deployment as Clear's will be added later when they get things going. We are looking at running 850 for indoors coverage, 1900 and Clears 2.5 f...(continues)

I would be more concerned with AT&T working on their absolutely horrid customer service. That is an unavoidable foundation point to keep customers.They are telling people that they have to switch to 3G devices now. Luckily they are not charging alot of their customers for the phone upgrade like they did when they merged with Cingular in 2004. They just need to work on their people skills.Regardless at least half of their service quality outside metro areas is piss poor like T-Mobiles. Work on the basics before fooling around with more complex stuff.